1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hypodermic dosage measuring device adapted to enable accurate and facilitated measurement of precise doses of a drug to be administered by means of a hypodermic syringe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hypodermic syringes are a widely used method of dispensing needed drugs to individuals. They are utilized by doctors, nurses, as well as patients and other lay persons in a variety of circumstances. In addition to the careful handling of the syringe, one of the most important responsibilities undertaken by an individual dispensing a drug utilizing a syringe is to assure that the appropriate dosage is administered. Because hypodermic syringes generally administer the drug directly in the bloodstream or in the tissue of the patient, the dosage quickly and directly affects the patient. As a result, it is very important to assure that the precise dosage is administered at all times.
Commonly, hypodermic syringes which come in standard sizes include a gradated scale disposed on the body of the syringe. Utilizing the scale, an individual administering the drug will draw a quantity of the drug from a vial into the syringe, and then expel quantities of the drug until the precise dosage is achieved. This common measurement procedure can often be difficult and time-consuming, and most importantly can be quite wasteful as a quantity of the drug is expelled in order to achieve the appropriate dosage. Further, individuals who are self-administering a drug often suffer from ailments that affect their eyesight or coordination, thereby making it difficult to use the scale effectively. Because the scale is placed along a length of the syringe, the size of the numbers and scale is limited by the dimensions of the syringe such that larger, more easily read numbers cannot be implemented. As to the amount of the drug expelled, although it is seemingly small, due to the often expensive price of medication, even small amounts wasted over time can become quite costly.
In the past, there have been numerous devices adapted specifically for facilitating the measurement of the dosage drawn into a hypodermic syringe. These inventions include those disclosed in the references to Dobbins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,009, Ethington, U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,223, Right, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,055, Maki, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,159, LaDow, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,454, and Bloom, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,276. The majority of these references, which were designed primarily to assist individuals such as diabetics in self-administering a medication, employ a common method of providing for a measured dosage. Particularly, the syringe is placed in the device and the plunger of the syringe is manually pulled by the individual until it arrives at a point on a scale or until it arrives at a stopper which will not let the plunger move any further. Such a means of measuring the dosage, however, has difficulties associated with its effective use. Principally, since the individual must manually pull the plunger or manipulate small inconveniently disposed buttons, sick or handicapped individuals may have difficulties in grasping the plunger in its location within the dose measuring device, or may not be able to provide a smooth, fluid pulling motion which could result in inaccurate measurement. Also, the measuring devices which do not require the user to judge the scale provide a set stopping location. The set stopping location is only effective if the same dosage must always be taken, because otherwise an individual, often a sick or handicapped individual, must manipulate the complicated adjustment means provided to adjust the positioning of the stopper. The complicated adjustment of the stopper not only defeats the purpose of making the device easy to use by sick or handicapped individuals, but also makes the device ineffective to utilize in a hospital setting where many different kinds of drugs requiring many different dosages must be used. Even in the case of patients administering their own drug, multiple drugs may need to be dispensed, and dosages may need to be varied depending on the condition of the individual.
Accordingly, it would be highly beneficial to provide a dosage measuring device which will hold the drug vial and the syringe in a convenient dispensing location where they may rest until the syringe is precisely needed, which pulls the plunger automatically as part of the dosage measuring means, and which provides a clear, easy to view indication of the precise dosage dispensed for a variety of drugs requiring a variety of dosages. The device of the present invention is designed specifically to meet these needs which remain in light of the related art.